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This was a game that the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins had to win for a number of reasons.

1. Quell the, “here we go again” crowd who love to bitch and moan when Pittsburgh recalls players because their own are injured as has been the case for the last few seasons.
2. Springfield Thunderbirds haven’t won 20 games yet coming into tonight with just 18. Wilkes-Barre should have run circles around and won by four or more goals.
3. When #2 didn’t come to fruition and it became a close game, almost with a playoff like intensity with the Penguins having been shutout the night before in Albany and the Thunderbirds getting up against the best team in the AHL, that’s where you start looking at where the breakdowns started.

Here are the reasons, at least in my view, why the Penguins lost tonight. Feel free to add your own or disagree.

1. Reto Berra is a 6-4, 200 pound goaltender who is a lot better than his record would indicate. He plays very well against the Penguins, shutting them out this past October 1-0.
2. Wilkes-Barre took six penalties in the game, three in the first and two in the second with one in the third.
3. The Penguins celebrated like they won a playoff series when they finally scored on Berra in the third period. This had to have drawn the ire of the Thunderbirds as they would score about three minutes later.
4. WordPress isn’t letting be do a 3a., so consider this that. You don’t celebrate like you won something when you score a goal against a sixth place team that has been a doormat for other teams in the AHL. It makes you look petty and a bigger fool when the opposing team scores on you three minutes later.

A 2-1 Thunderbirds win tonight. Second loss for the weekend for the Penguins who head to Providence to take on Zane McIntyre most likely Sunday afternoon. The P-Bruins, who were shut out by Hershey tonight, will be chomping at the bit to get back out there and out there with their magic bullet in McIntyre against the League’s best team.

Can’t have it both ways, guys. You want the best team and you have them with the Penguins. But you have to expect the other teams best when playing the best team.

Casey DeSmith opposed the aforementioned Reto Berra.

Lines were…

Tom Sestito – Kevin Porter – Tom Kostopoulos
Christian Hilbrich – Oskar Sundqvist – Josh Archibald
Derrick Simon – Teddy Blueger – J-S Dea
Jarrett Burton – Sahir Gill – Patrick McGrath

Derrick Pouliot – Barry Goers
Stuart Percy – David Warsofsky
Tim Erixon – Ethan Prow

Casey DeSmith – Tristan Jarry

Lineup Notes: Pittsburgh re-assigned Josh Archibald to Wilkes-Barre earlier in the day and Coal Street signed Brett Stern to another PTO. Healthy scratches were Danny Kristo, Ryan Haggerty and the aforementioned Brett Stern. Christian Hilbrich got another game. Swap McGrath for Haggerty and Archibald for Kristo. When a guy from Wheeling was getting to play over you, that may be a message or it may be nothing.

First Period: Wilkes-Barre / Scranton only had 24 shots in last nights game against Albany. Well, in the first period alone in Springfield, the Penguins put up 14 on Reto Berra. Berra was singlehandedly the reason why the game wasn’t out of hand 10 minutes in. Springfield comes alive in the final five minutes in the period, a shot by Jayce Hawryluk on the power play hit the top of the bar behind DeSmith. Both myself at home watching on AHL Live and Nick and Obie on radio thought it was a goal. Play continued a good three minutes before referees Mike Campbell and Tim Mayer took a look and confirmed the no goal call that Mayer, the low referee, made.

So the Falcons dodge a Penguin bullet with Reto Berra for fifteen minutes and the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins dodge a Springfield bullet via the crossbar behind Casey DeSmith.

Second Period: Penguins take ther third penalty in a row and Springfield finally cashes on it as Jared McCann gets a puck, baits Casey DeSmith out of his own net and puts the puck in it. Tim Erixon was a passenger on the play as he was caught in no mans land on the play not knowing whether he should go behind the net to get the puck or take the man. He should have took the man, but hindsight is 20-20.

Here is the goal. You be the judge…

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Wilkes-Barre got close on their only power play in the period but could not crack Reto Berra. Springfield didn’t exactly play better than the Penguins as much as Wilkes-Barre taking a penalty every five minutes. Eventually a team at the AHL level will score on the man advantage via trial and error.

Third Period: David Warsofsky finally breaks the ice for the Penguins with this low shot on Berra :05 into a power play for the Penguins…

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A little over three minutes later, the Thunderbirds reestablish their lead over Wilkes-Barre when Penguin killer Mackenzie Weegar puts a shot on DeSmith who makes the save but Juho Lammikko was right there for the rebound to put past DeSmith.

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Penguins got a power play with a minute to play and with DeSmith vacated the Thunderbirds never touched the puck once but Wilkes-Barre never found the equalizer.

Three Stars: 3) Jared McCann (goal, +1) 2) Reto Berra (34 saves on 35 shots) and 1) Juho Lammikko (game winning goal, +1)

Around the Division: Bridgeport beat Albany 3-2 in the afternoon game. That’s six in a row and 14 of 15 for the Sound Tigers. Lehigh Valley exacts revenge on Hartford and beats the Wolf Pack 6-4 and so does Hershey against Providence I mentioned in the open. Final score there was 4-0 Bears.

Standings: Penguins (.726 percentage points) — Lehigh Valley (.667) — Bridgeport (.660) — Providence (.644) — Hershey (.606) — Springfield (.461) — Hartford (.422)

Wheeling Update: The Nailers beat the Kalamazoo Wings 5-4. Nick Sorkin had a pair of goals. Garrett Meurs had a goal and two assists.

If Springfield puts forth a highlight package, I will run an edit here.

Pens will bus to Providence overnight for the 3:05 start against the Bruins Sunday afternoon. Look for the Gameday setup to hit the blog Sunday morning at 11 a.m.

Let’s Go Pens!

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I am going to give you the optimistic and pessimistic view as to why the Penguins lost this game to the Albany Devils 4-0.

Pessimistic: Pittsburgh recalled all our damn players!

Optimistic: Albany scored :58 into the game, blocked a ton of shots the remainder of the game, the Penguins didn’t eclipse the 20 shot total till two minutes left to play in the game and the three goals scored in the third period were meaningless. The Penguins weren’t going to score because the Devils were really good at blocking shot lanes. Chasing the game late, they make a few mistakes that the Devils capitalize on.

Sorry, but Carter Rowney and Steve Oleksy are probably having their shots blocked in this game too. I choose the optimistic approach here.

First shutout for the Devils this season and the first professional clean sheet for Mackenzie Blackwood for Albany. Fifth time that the Penguins were shutout this season and they now have been shutout on back to back Friday’s.

Tristan Jarry opposed Mackenzie Blackwood.

Lines were…

Sahir Gill – Kevin Porter – Tom Kostopoulos
Tom Sestito – Oskar Sundqvist – Danny Kristo
Dominik Simon – Teddy Blueger – J-S Dea
Christan Hilbrich – Jarrett Burton – Ryan Haggerty

Stuart Percy – David Warsofsky
Derrick Pouliot – Barry Goers
Tim Erixon – Ethan Prow

Tristan Jarry – Casey DeSmith

Lineup Notes: No immediate recall from Wheeling for a defenseman. Wilkes-Barre is OK right now with the six that they have. Garrett Wilson is week to week with an upper body injury and is 4-6 weeks away from a return. Thomas DiPauli is still week to week but is with the team. Remember that Head Coach Clark DOnatelli indicated that DiPauli should be back in the lineup at the end of February.

First Period: It was a sleepy start for the Penguins. :58 in, ex-Penguin Brian Gibbons picks the pocket of Tristan Jarry and Blake Coleman scored to give the Devils a 1-0 lead…

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Albany had the only power play in the period and Oskar Sundqvist led a two-on-one with Teddy Blueger. Sundqvist had literally all day, waited out a guy and passed over to Blueger who swung and missed on the shorthanded bid.

Wilkes-Barre continued to sleepwalk and were getting throttled on the shot board 9-0 at one point. Jarry, after his initial gaffe with the puck was sharp the remainder of the period. Shots to conclude the first were every bit of 16-7 Albany heading into the….

Second Period: Mike and Nick mentioned it on the broadcast that it seemed like the Penguins had more shots than the Devils and while that may appear true to the naked eye, Albany outshot Wilkes-Barre 12-8 in the period. The Devils simply blocked a ton of shots in the period.

No scoring in the period. Tristan Jarry was excellent in net for the Penguins, stopping a Ben Sexton rebound attempt with his arm diving over to make a save:

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Third Period: Penguins think that they score after J-S Dea makes a power move toward the net and in the pile of bodies Teddy Blueger kicks a puck in. Referee Tom Chmielewski washes the goal out on the kick, he and Chris Brown review the video and confirm their call on a kick. Both I and Mike and Nick on the broadcast agreed with the call. For what it’s worth, Chmielewski and Brown were outstanding tonight, allowing two good teams to play. There were only four power plays in this game.

That goal that didn’t go for the Penguins will be my turning point in this game as Ben Sexton pounces on a turnover by the Penguins and blasts one past Jarry to make it 2-0.

Soon, the Penguins turn over the puck again and Max Novack comes in on a three on one and scores to make it 3-0.

Nick Lappin added an empty netter that just added the sprinkles (or jimmies, depending on what end of the state you are from) on the icing on the cake on this one.

Three Stars: 3) Yohann Auvitu (two assists, +2) 2) Max Novack (goal, +1) and 1) Mackenzie Blackwood (24 save shutout)

Around the Division: Bad night to be a team from Pennsylvania. Lehigh Valley loses at home to last place Hartford 3-2 and Hershey loses in Providence 4-3. Bridgeport continues their tear and win 5-2 in Rochester. The Sound Tigers visit Albany tomorrow. Springfield, who host the Penguins Saturday, beat Utica 5-2.

Standings: Penguins (.740 percentage points) — Lehigh Valley (.660) — Providence (.657) — Bridgeport (.653) — Hershey (.598) — Springfield (.450) — Hartford (.430)

Wheeling Update: Nailers lose 6-3 in the rematch with Brampton tonight. Garrett Meurs had a Gordie Howe hat trick. Wheeling hosts Kalamazoo Saturday.

Video highlights…

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Pens bus to Springfield overnight for a 7:05 start with the Thunderbirds. Gameday will hit the blog Saturday at 3.

Let’s Go Pens!

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The Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins conclude their six game home stand with a 5-1 win over the Lehigh Valley Phantoms on Tuesday night. The lead for the Penguins now is 11 on the second place Phantoms team.

Oskar Sundqvist had gone cold for a bit then caught one and missed practice yesterday. He came to the rink ready to roll and scored twice tonight as the Penguins easily beat a Lehigh Valley team that never really were able to get going Tuesday night.

Taking the veteran option on the lines tonight because, if you didn’t know already, I do not like work night home games. A 72 game schedule would be aces for this blogger. Anyway, here’s tonight’s lines…

Lineup Notes: Tim Erixon was the vet scratch, Patrick McGrath took warmups only and Barry Goers were the scratches.

First Period: Garrett Wilson exits the game early on a high, dirty hit by Sam Morin 4:31 in.

Here is video of the hit courtesy of Elmer Talmadge:

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The Penguins would score on the power play afterward on this goal by Derrick Pouliot:

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Teams trade power plays after then later Sahir Gill throws a hit to make a play. Players spill into the boards, J-S Dea comes over to collect the puck and finds Dominik Simon cutting to the net unabated and Simon scores to make it 2-0:

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Shots were 15-7 Penguins after the first in a period that they were ready for. Lehigh Valley didn’t register a shot on goal till 7:59 and were making bad passes all over the place.

Second Period: Pens had to kill a carry over penalty to begin, Oskar Sundqvist scored shorthanded on this move…

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Phantoms appeared to have scored right back but the puck popped up over Jarry and onto the net where it was re-directed in via Colin McDonald high stick.

Tristan Jarry was really on point in the period making some excellent post to post stops on the Phantoms. He made two stellar saves on a penalty kill.

Nicolas Aube-Kubel finally solves Jarry following up his own shot post to post from behind the net that broke up the goose egg on the board for the Phantoms.

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J-S Dea had a spectacular goal. Here it is set up via color man Nick Hart:

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After brief review, it stood as a goal.

Phantoms played a good majority of that period as the better team but the Penguins manage two goals in the period anyway to maintain a three goal lead heading into the…

Third Period: Sundqvist made it 5-1 on this impossible goal from the corner you need to see to believe:

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Pretty blah period with the Penguins protecting a lead against a Lehigh Valley team that is dynamite in the third period and continued to press for more goals at the same time. It’s a beautiful balancing act when executed properly and Wilkes-Barre pulled it off nicely. Penguins nearly doubled up the Phantoms in shots in the period.

Three Stars:  3) Tristan Jarry 2) Dominik Simon (goal, assist) 1) Oskar Sundqvist (two goals)

Around the Division: They all watched us.

Standings: Penguins (.755 percentage points) — Lehigh Valley (.673) — Providence (.650) — Bridgeport (.646) — Hershey (.610) — Springfield (.439) — Hartford (.418)

Wheeling Update: The Nailers host the Brampton Beast tomorrow.

Postgame, Penguins Head Coach Clark Donatelli advised Tom and Seth and other WBS media that Garrett Wilson is week to week with an upper body injury and is having x-rays tomorrow. He also stated that he and his coaches are reviewing the hint to see if they will send it to the League for review and Supplemental Discipline.

I wanted to look up the Phantoms third period goal differential. Against the rest of the AHL teams except that Penguins it’s +34. Against Wilkes-Barre it’s +1. That’s remarkable and a testament to the coaching staff on game preparation.

Video highlights…

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Pens are off on the road now until a March 8 home date with these Phantoms beginning this weekend in Albany on Friday. But for breaking stuff, look for the next blog update to come then.

Let’s Go Pens!